Role of Competitive Strategies In The Effect of Strategic Flexibility on Ambidexterity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21325/jotags.2025.1770Keywords:
Strategic flexibility, Ambidexterity, Competitive strategies, Restaurant businessesAbstract
The aim of this study is to examine the moderating role of competitive strategies in the relationship between strategic flexibility and organizational ambidexterity. The research was conducted on a sample of restaurant businesses operating in Nevşehir, and data were collected through a survey method. Unlike its theoretical structure, the competitive strategies scale was validated in two dimensions (cost leadership and focus) as a result of confirmatory factor analysis. The findings indicate that strategic flexibility has a significant and positive effect on organizational ambidexterity. In addition, both resource flexibility and coordination flexibility were found to have positive effects on exploration and exploitation strategies. However, the focus strategy was found to play a negative moderating role in these relationships. This result suggests that excessive focus may limit the positive effects of flexibility. By addressing strategic flexibility, ambidexterity, and competitive strategies together, this study fills a gap in the literature and makes an original contribution to the service sector. The findings remind business managers of the need to establish a balance between flexibility and competitive strategies.
References
Aaker, D. A., & Mascarenhas, B. (1984). The need for strategic flexibility. The Journal of Business Strategy, 5(2), 74-82. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com
Auh, S., & Menguc, B. (2005). Balancing exploration and exploitation: the moderating role of competitive intensity. Journal of Business Research, 58, 1652-1661. https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.jbusres.2004.11.007
Castillo Apraiz, J., Richter, N. F., Matey de Antonio, J., & Gudergan, S. (2021). The role of competitive strategy in the performance impact of exploitation and exploration quality management practices. European Business Review, 33(1). https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-09-2019-0182
Cingöz, A., & Akdoğan, A.A. (2015). Örgütsel ustalık (organizational ambidexterity): örgütsel ustalık düzeyini belirlemede araştırıcı ve yararlanıcı stratejilerin etkileşimsel rolü [Organizational ambidexterity: the interactive role of exploratory and exploitative strategies in determining the level of organizational ambidexterity]. Aksaray Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 7(1), 59-67.
Fahrudi, A.N.L.I., Gengatharen, D., & Suseno, Y. (2017, June). Managing organizational learning ambidexterity in a resource-constrained environment: an exploratory study of Australian large service organizations. Paper presented at the XXVIII ISPIM Innovation Conference. Vienna, Austria. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D.F. (1981) Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
Gürbüz, S. (2021). Amos ile yapısal eşitlik modellemesi temel ilkeler ve uygulamalı analizler (2th ed.) [Structural equation modeling with Amos: basic principles and applied analysis]. Ankara, Turkey: Seçkin Yayıncılık.
Herzallah, A., Gutierrez-Gutierrez, L.J., & Munoz Rosas, J.F. (2017). Quality ambidexterity, competitive strategies, and financial performance. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 37(10), 1496-1519. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-01-2016-0053
Hitt, M.A., Keats, B.W., & DeMarie, S.M. (1998). Navigating in the new competitive landscape: building strategic flexibility and competitive advantage in the 21st century. Academy of Management Executive, 12(4), 22-43. https://doi.org/10.5465/ ame.1998.1333922
Hodgkinson, I.R., Ravishankar, M.N., & Aitken-Fischer, M. (2014). A resource-advantage perspective on the orchestration of ambidexterity. The Service Industries Journal, 34(15), 1234-1252. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2014.942655
Hwang, C. Y. (2025). Capital market perceptions of harmonious organisational ambidexterity configurations in the ICT industry. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 1-27. DOI: 10.1080/09537325.2025.2514100
Jansen, J. P. J., Tempelaar, M. P., Van den Bosch, F. A., & Volberda, H. W. (2009). Structural differentiation and ambidexterity: The mediating role of integration mechanisms. Organization science, 20(4), 797-811.
Jiang, F., Wang, D., & Wei, Z. (2021). How yin-yang cognition affects organizational ambidexterity: the mediating role of strategic flexibility. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-021-09759-9
Ketabchi, M. (2020). A descriptive study for the strategic role of human resource flexibility as a full model of organizational ambidexterity in Isfahan Payame Noor University. DYSONA – Life Science, 1, 25-35. https://doi.org/10.30493/DLS.2020.103721
Kortmann, S., Gelhard, C., Zimmermann, C., & Piller, F.T. (2014). Linking strategic flexibility and operational efficiency: the mediating role of ambidextrous operational capabilities. Journal of Operations Management, 32, 475-490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jom.2014.09.007
Köseoglu, M.A., Topaloglu, C., Parnell, J.A., & Lester, D.L. (2013). Linkages among business strategy, uncertainty and performance in the hospitality industry: evidence from an emerging economy. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 34, 81-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2013.03.001
Lau, R.S.M. (1996). Strategic flexibility: a new reality for world-class manufacturing. SAM Advanced Management Journal, 61, 11-15. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com
Li, Y., Chen, Y., Wang, J., Zhou, Y., & Wang, C. (2025). Digital platform capability and innovation ambidexterity: The mediating role of strategic flexibility. Journal of Business Research, 186, 114971. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114971
Lubatkin, M.H., Simsek, Z., Ling, Y., & Veiga, J.F. (2006). Ambidexterity and performance in small-to medium-sized firms: the pivotal role of top management team behavioral integration. Journal of Management, 32(5), 646-672. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920630 6290712
Matsuno, K., & Kohlbacher, F. (2020). Proactive marketing response to population aging: the roles of capabilities and commitment of firms. Journal of Business Research, 113, 93-104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.01.042
March, J.G. (1991). Exploration and exploitation in organizational learning. Organization Science, 2(1), 71-87.
Martins, E.S., Rosseto, C.R., Lima, N.C., & Penedo, A.S.T. (2014). Strategic behavior and ambidexterity: a study applied along the Brazilian wineries. Review of Business Managment, 16(52), 392-415. https://doi.org/10.7819/rbgn.v16i52.1540
Menguc, B., & Auh, S., (2008). The asymmetric moderating role of market orientation on the ambidexterity–firm performance relationship for prospectors and defenders. Industrial Marketing Management, 37, 455-470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2007.05.002
Onufrey, K., & Bergek, A. (2021). Transformation in a mature industry: The role of business and innovation strategies. Technovation, 105, 102193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2020.102193
O'Reilly III, C.A., & Tushman, M.L. (2011). Organizational ambidexterity in action: how managers explore and exploit. California Management Review, 53(4), 5-22. https://doi.org/10.1525/cmr.2011.53.4.5
Porter, M.E. (2010). Rekabet stratejisi sektör ve rakip analizi teknikleri [Competitive strategy] (G. Ulubilgen, Trans.). İstanbul, Turkey: Sistem Yayıncılık.
Raisch, S., & Birkinshaw, J. (2008). Organizational ambidexterity: antecedents, outcomes, and moderators. Journal of Management 34(3): 375-409.
Rialti, R., Marzi, G., Caputo, A., & Mayah, K.A. (2020). Achieving strategic flexibility in the era of big data: the importance of knowledge management and ambidexterity. Management Decision, 58(8), 1585-1600. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-09-2019-1237
Roberts, N., & Stockport, G.J., (2009). Defining strategic flexibility. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 10(1), 27-32. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03396553
Sanchez, R., (1995). Strategic flexibility in product competition. Strategic Management Journal, 16, 135-159. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250160921
Sollosy, M. (2013). A contemporary examination of the Miles and Snow strategic typology through the lenses of dynamic capabilities and ambidexterity (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/
Su, Z., Guo, H., & Sun, W. (2017). Exploration and firm performance: The moderating role of competitive strategy. British Journal of Management, 28(3), 357–371. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12180
Sushil, S. (2015). Strategic flexibility: the evolving paradigm of strategic management. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 16(2), 113-114. https://doi.org/10.1007/ s40171-015-0095-z
Sürücü, L., Şeşen, H., & Maşlakçı, A. (2021). SPSS, AMOS ve PROCESS macro ile ilişkisel, aracı/düzenleyici ve yapısal eşitlik modellemesi (uygulamalı analizler) [Relational, moderator/moderation and structural equation modeling (applied analysis) with SPSS, AMOS and PROCESS macro]. Ankara, Turkey: Detay Yayıncılık.
Stelmaszczyk, M., & Pierscieniak, A. (2020). Strategic flexibility as a mediator in relationship between managerial decisions and organizational learning: ambidexterity perspective. European Research Studies Journal, 13(4), 612-622. https://doi.org/10.35808/ersj/1704
Tabachnick, B.G., & Fidell, L.S. (2012). Using multivariate statics. (6th ed.) Boston, USA: Pearson.
Tahralı, İ., Alpkan, L., & Aren, S. (2015). Effects of generic strategies and environmental conditions on innovation efforts. Akademik Araştırmalar Dergisi, 63, 1-30. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net
Úbeda-García, M., Claver-Cortés, E., Marco-Lajara, B., & Zaragoza-Sáez, P. (2017). Human resource flexibility and performance in the hotel industry: the role of organizational ambidexterity. Personnel Review, 46(4), 824-846. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-12-2015-0315
Ülgen, H., & Mirze, S.K. (2010). İşletmelerde stratejik yönetim (5th ed.) [Strategic management in businesses]. İstanbul, Turkey: Beta Yayıncılık.
Ünlüönen, M.B. (2020). Özümseme kapasitesinin stratejik esneklik üzerine etkisi: OSTİM sanayi bölgesi örneği [The effect of absorptive capacity on strategic flexibility: the case of OSTIM industrial region] (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from: https://tez.yok. gov.tr
Wei, Z., Yi, Y., & Guo, H. (2014). Organizational learning ambidexterity, strategic flexibility, and new product development. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 31(4), 832-847. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12126
Yamin, S., Mavondo, F., Gunasekaran, A., & Sarros, J.C. (1997). A study of competitive strategy, organisational innovation and organisational performance among Australian manufacturing companies. International Journal of Production Economics, 52, 161-172. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-5273(96)00104-1
Zahra, S.A., & Covin, J.G. (1993). Business strategy, technology policy and firm performance. Strategic Management Journal, 14(6), 451-478. https://doi.org/10.1002 /smj.4250140605
Zimmermann, A., Raisch, S., & Birkinshaw, J. (2015). How Is Ambidexterity Initiated? The Emergent Charter Definition Process. Organization Science, 26(4), 1119–1139. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2015.097
Zhou, K.Z., & Wu, F. (2010). Technological capability, strategic flexibility, and product innovation. Strategic Management Journal, 31, 547-561. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.830
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Tourism & Gastronomy Studies
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
